Jaw assembly for wrenches of the stillson type



5 T mmfw OM W. N r E M w T m J F B. ROBERTS JAW ASSEMBLY FOR WRENCHES OF THE STILLSON TYPE 7 j l 5 l, 7

Filed Oct. 29, 1948 Patented May 20, 1952 OFFICE J AW ASSEMBLY FOR WRENCH S OF THE. STILLSON TYPE Brereton Roberts, Cimla, South Wales ApplicationQctobcr 29, 194.8, Serial No. 51,230 In Great Britain November 5, .,1.9 .71i

3. Qlaims',

The present invention relates to wrenches of the Stillson type and more particularly has reference to a jaw assembly for use with such wrenches;

Anobject of the invention is the provision of an adjustablewrench of the Stillson type which isprovided with, or which is adapted to be fitted with, jaws which completely embrace the object gripped.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a novel fixed and movable jaw assembly which is adapted to be fitted to a wrench of the Stillson type. 7

Further objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with. the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure l isia side view of, a wrench constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line 11-11 of Figure 1;

Figure 3: is a view similar to. Figure 1 showing a modified form of wrench Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3, the view looking in the direction of the arrows, and

larged at 2 and is formed with a serrated, work- ,engaging or ripp ng. face 3, these p rts. formin the fixed jaw of the wrench.

The handle I is formed with a transverse bore which is offset with respect to the face 3 and which receives a pivot pin 4. This pin 4 serves for the attachment to the handle I of a connecting structure 5 which carries an adjustable jaw member 6.

In this construction the connecting structure 5 consists of two separate cheek pieces 1 which are spaced from each other, being pivoted one on each end of the pivot pin 4 on opposite sides of the handle I.

The adjustable jaw member 6 comprises a shank 8, which is slidably fitted between the cheek pieces 1, and a projecting jaw part 9 which is formed with a serrated work-engaging or gripping face ID. The shank 8 is formed with longitudinal grooves II on its opposite sides, which grooves receive correspondingly shaped ribs 12 formed on the inner faces of the cheek pieces I. The shank 8 is also formed on its front and back edges with thread-engaging teeth l3 which may be of generally square section.

The checkpieces 1- are of L-shape as shown in the drawing, theshorter arms l4 being drilled to receive the pivot pin 4 and the longer arms I5 being adapted toengage the shank 8. The arms iii of the cheek pieces 7 are of somewhat smaller section than the arms I 4, being separated from the latter by shoulders Hi; the outer surfaces of the arms [5 are of arcuate shape as is shown at I? in Figure 2. At their free ends the arms [5' are provided with outwardly projecting lips I8.

Surrounding the shank 8 and the arms ['5 of the cheek pieces 1 is; an annular adjusting membeer or ringl9 which is preferably knurled on its outer surface. This member is internally threaded to engage the teeth It on the shank 8. It is rotatable-about the cheek pieces I but itis prevented from moving longitudinallyon them (except possibly for a small amount of play) since at; one end it is engaged by the shoulders it of the cheek pieces while at-its other end it is engaged by the lips [8.

To assemble the wrench the cheekpieces-l are fitted, within the adjusting member l9 before the latter is threaded on the shank 8. By turning the member t9, the distance between theworkengaging faces 3 and it can be adjusted as required; The wrench is used in the same manner as an ordinary Stillson wrench.

It will be apparent that the inventionprovides a wrench the parts of which are easy to 'manufacture and assemble While the complete'wrench is of strong and robust construction without being unduly heavy.

For certain purposes it is convenient to have a wrench the jaws of which completely embrace the work and the present invention provides means for achieving this. Figure 3 of the drawing shows an adjustable wrench which is similar to that shown in Figures 1 and 2 except that the adjustable jaw member 6 has been replaced by a jaw assembly 26 comprising both fixed and adjustable jaws which together completely surround the work held between them.

The wrench shown in Figure 3 comprises a handle I and a connecting structure 5 which are identical with those shown in Figures 1 and 2, the handle having an enlarged end 2 and a serrated face 3 and the structure 5 comprising a pair of cheek pieces I and an annular adjusting member l9, the cheek pieces 1 being pivoted to the handle I by means of a pin 4.

The jaw assembly 26 comprises a shank 28 which is formed with thread-engaging teeth 33 and with longitudinal grooves 3|. The shank 28 is in fact similar to the shank 8 and is fitted be- 3 tween the cheek pieces I and within the adjusting member I9 in an exactly similar manner.

The shank 28 carries a head 29 which is of generally U-shape and is formed with a serrated work-engaging face 30. A bridge 40 connects the end of the U-shaped head 29 with the shank 28.

This bridge 40 is formed with a rectangular slot 4| in which is slidably mounted the leg 42 of a jaw member 43. One end of the member 43 is enlarged and is formed with a serrated workengaging face 44 of arcuate form, while at its other end the leg 42 is provided with a foot 45 the base 46 of which is engaged by the face 3 of the handle I.

Preferably, the jaw member 43 is forged from a single piece of steel, while the bridge 40 is constructed of two side parts which are assembled about the leg 42 of the member 43 and are secured by welding, riveting or other means to the shank 28 and to the end of the head 29.

The wrench shown in Figure 3 is used in a similar manner to the wrench of Figures 1 and 2 except that the work is gripped between the faces 30 and 44 instead of between faces l and 3. Owing to the engagement between the face 3 of the handle and the base 46 of the foot 45 the distance between the faces 3|] and 44 can be adjusted as desired by turning the adjusting member l9. Also when the wrench is applied to the work and a turning effort is applied to it in the usual manner the faces 30 and 44 are forced towards each other to grip the work more tightly in a similar manner to the faces [0 and 3 of the first construction. In fact when the wrench is in use the face 44 constitutes the fixed jaw face corresponding to the face 3; the member 42 then acts in effect as an extension of the handle Other modifications are also possible. Thus, instead of providing the ribs I2 on the cheek pieces I and forming the shank 8 with grooves II as shown, the grooves could be formed in the cheek pieces and the ribs provided on the shank.

While I have described preferred embodiments of my invention it is to be understood that these are given by way of example only. I do not desire to be limited thereto but Wish to avail myself of all modifications coming within the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An adjustable wrench comprising a handle having a working face at one end thereof, an

4 intermediate jaw member separate from said handle and provided with a working face adapted to be disposed upon the working face of the handle, a connecting structure, means pivoting said connecting structure on said handle, an adjustable outer jaw member having a shank and a jaw part formed with a work-engaging face, said shank being formed with thread-engaging elements and being slidably mounted in said connecting structure, means mounting said intermediate jaw member on said adjustable outer jaw member for relative movement therebetween while supporting said intermediate jaw member on said handle, a nut embracing said shank and said connecting structure, said nut having an internal thread which engages with said thread-engaging elements, and means swivelling said nut on said connecting structure whereby rotation of said nut adjusts the work-engaging face of said outer jaw member either toward or away from said intermediate jaw member.

2. An adjustable wrench as defined in and claimed by claim 1, further characterized in that said intermediate jaw member is slidably mounted in said adjustable outer jaw member.

3. An adjustable wrench as defined in and claimed by claim 1, further characterized in that said adjustable outer jaw member comprises an inverted U-shaped part having legs and an arm'- ate portion, said work-engaging face being formed on an inner side of said arcuate portion, a member bridging the legs of said U-shaped part, and said intermediate jaw member being slidably mounted in said bridge member.

BRERETON ROBERTS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 

